Rating: 
Summary: Best of the Best
Review: My favorite Malachi Martin book to date. Terrifying but true stories of demon possession and exorcism. Anyone interested in demonology must get this book....no other like it that I have found. Be aware that it is very disturbing, you may sleep with the lights on for a while
Rating: 
Summary: Hostage to the Devil is a page turner
Review: Malachi Martin provides five stories of documented exorcisms in the United States. The appeal here is the reality and reasonability of each story, and the fear of the reality of evil. Evil exists and Martin helps us see it up close as manifested in a few cases of exorcism. The five last chapters provide a nice overview, and Martin's views in addition.
Rating:
Summary: amazing
Review: this book is amazing.it has changed my perception of what evil is and the tools it employs.if anyone is looking for answers, this is the book for you. any eerie feeling you have felt, or chill that seems to come from nowhere has a clear and distinct purpose and orgin.
hell insnt a firery pit somewhere. it is a dark, lonely places where confusion and madness rule.if anyone belives the devil dosent exist, i urge them to thimk again and to take a good look at their environment and the people around them.this book will change your life.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Learning Material, Poor Theology
Review: Father Malachi Martin is an excellent writer who does his research very well. He is adept at interviewing people and really fleshing out the story in written form. He has done a fine job selecting some very intriguing and thought provoking stories of Possession. However I did notice while reading this book that I disagreed on some points that Father Malachi Martin made, very strongly in some cases. I will only go into couple here.
The first is that Exorcisms should never take very long. Jesus expelled demons very quickly and so did the Apostles. I know from reading other accounts of exorcisms done by Missionaries and from my Mother, an ordained Minister who has talked with some exorcists, that all you need to do, is say "In the name of Jesus begone." and the demon HAS to leave. If you are unsure whether the person is actually possessed than ask them to very clearly confess their faith in Jesus Christ and then bless them, telling the demon inside the person that the person belongs to Christ. If the person can do that they are simply not possessed. A Demon must respond to the name of Jesus. Here I must make a delineation, the name of Jesus by itself does not hold power, as in the letters of the name. Demons, as some do in the book, respond to the name even when the person spells it out, but that is out of their own stupidity and that the person doing so does know at some level that name means something the demon hates. There is also another demon in the book, Mister Natch, that does not respond simply to the name "Jesus". It even says it a couple times without any overtones of hate. This is because the demon had successfully distorted the name to mean nothing. By saying "The demon must respond to the name Jesus" I mean that it must respond to someone pointing out the supreme sacrifice that Jesus made for our sins out of total and complete Love and the defeat he handed over to Satan and all his minions. The name "Jesus" conveys this fact for any English speaking Christian and even someone who does not believe, but has a vague notion of what it means. The logic behind this being two fold. One, that Jesus is called different names in different languages and two the name that the name he was given by the Angel Gabriel was "Y'shua", not "Jesus". This does not mean that we must call Jesus "Y'shua" for both names mean the same thing. But, someone speaking a language where "Jesus" was just a word for "chair" would not find that it had any effect on a demon, especially if the demon was speaking their language. I simply want to point out that it is not the name itself that will cause the demon to leave.
My second point is that never say "In the name of Jesus I command you to leave". Never bring yourself into it. This will only make things much much worse. Father Malachi Martin realized this on some level and pointed it out with the case of the "Girl-fixer" but not to the extent that it needs to be practiced. The battle is between Jesus and the demon, no one else, not the exorcist, not the church, not angels. Here is a good example of this from the Bible "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you." Jude 9 Michael the Archangel would not even dare to say "I rebuke you in the name of the Lord"! Every single exorcist mentioned in the 5 cases says that and they all pay for it. The power of Jesus is still there in all 5 cases but they have refused some of his aid and have brought responsibility on themselves. The "Clash" Father Malachi Martin speaks of is not intended to be between the exorcist and the demon but between Jesus and the demon alone. You can see clearly that whenever one of the exorcists says "In the name of Jesus you must leave." Or something of the equivalent, the demon does whatever is asked of it. The few cases where the demon does not is when the priest has already brought himself into it and the demon can therefore avoid doing so, but even so the result is very quick. I must also point out that all of the exorcists operated under the assumption that the exorcism would last a long time. They did not expect the demon to leave if they said "In the name of Jesus you must leave." This is not good. Of course the demon won't leave if you don't expect it to. If you do not think the demon will leave you are harming your idea of Jesus. You think that Jesus can only win after a great struggle, which is nonsense. Jesus WILL make the demon leave instantly if you truly ask him too.
I was shocked at some points in the book when the exorcist would engage the demon in conversation. Father Malachi Martin knew this, but not to the extent that it should be taken. Talking with a demon should NEVER be done. Satan is the Father of Lies. Everything that comes out of the mouth of a demon will likely be distorted truth or outright lies. In the Gospels Jesus immediately silenced demons, as should we. If a demon is speaking simply say "In the name of Jesus be silent." And it MUST be silent. We have no use to talk with demons and can only be lead astray and trapped by the demon, as is what happened to some of the exorcists.
Rating:
Summary: Friedkin and Blatty ain't got nothin' on Malachi
Review: I read 'The Exorcist' back in the seventies. Yeah, I heard things go bump in the night while reading. But THAT was a NOVEL. Father Martin presents five case histories right out of the Roman Catholic Church, covering a separate type of infestation, and each handled in different ways by a different exorcist. The other reviewers say "Don't read this at night!" Okay, if you're a wussey, read it on sunny afternoons. But if you're a risk taker, or a glutton for punishment, Go for It! For those of us who had the pleasure to hear Father Martin speak --I caught him several times on the Art Bell radio show---you can hear his pleasant and meticulous Irish brogue as he relates the happenings on each case. Hearing him on those shows helped me feel the intensity of his faith and revealed his polite acceptance of the mysterious and supernatural. For a book about ritual exorcism, Martin doesn't get too holier-than-thou. (And I like that.) Oh, to a certain extent he has to be that way in the Battle against Satan. And you gotta take into consideration that this was written over 30 years ago when he was closer to the Church than in his later years. But it's clear that wherever and whenever an exorcism is indicated, it's because of a break in faith in God, and a conscious decision to accept something in His place occurs. This is a fascinating book, whether you are a person of Faith, an (Un)Believer, or agnostic. Well worth the spine-tingles and startlings in the dead of night.
Rating:
Summary: Made me rethink my views on Satan
Review: At the outset, I should note that, as a good liberal Protestant, I have had my doubts as to the existence of a literal Satan (though I have NO doubts about the existence of evil -- how could anyone question evil after the events of September 11, 2001, or the Oklahoma City Bombing, or the death of Matthew Shepherd? But I digress.) After reading the tales of the five exorcisms, so skillfully and convincingly presented, I am left with new questions about the existence of some sort of personification of evil. Is there, in fact, a Satan, a literal Lucifer, and his minions, out to possess and destroy as many of God's creatures as he can? It seems as though the evidence is pointing a bit more toward "yes" as the answer.
I am left with several more questions that Martin failed to answer. First, it is one thing to empty these victims of possession of evil spirits, but then, isn't it important to fill them up with the Holy Spirit? We can presume this, but it is an important part of the equation that Martin leaves out of these stories. Otherwise, as in the story Jesus tells, the evil spirit will come back to the clean, but empty, house, and bring seven of his evil spirit companions, and the condition of the poor person will be worse than it was before! (See Matthew 12:43-45.) Second, do Catholics have the market cornered on exorcising demons? What if a charasmatic fundamentalist were to confront a possessed person? Or a mainline Protestant? Would they be unable to exorcise the demon? I can see a charasmatic faith healer, for example, praying over a possessed person and immediately calling out the evil spirit in the name of Jesus Christ and expecting the spirit to immediately leave the person! I'm not saying one way is better than another, but I wonder if Martin is. The book certainly made me ask more questions and become more prayerful about the topic. In that sense, the book served its purpose.
Rating:
Summary: A Well-Written Account of 5 Possessions
Review: This was a great instructional book. It was also an excellent explaination of the accounts, events of what happened to these 5 people that were possessed. If one was not a believer before reading the book, they surely will become one after reading it. I would advise one to be very careful when reading some of the stories Satan is very real.
Rating:
Summary: A devil of a good book!
Review: This is a great book and enjoyable to read. It is broken into several "case studies", so you are able to see the similarities in each possession incident, while at the same time not get too bogged down in one individual's story. Think Satan isn't real? You may think otherwise after reading this book!
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing, thorough, revealing, disturbing.
Review: I picked this book up because Scott Peck recommended it in his book, "People of the Lie." Martin describes the stories after having extensively interviewed everyone involved, even those who have been out of the victims' lives for years. The result is a book of unusual insight, scope, and drama. It paints a frightening picture of the seduction, subtlety, and danger of evil spirits. I have no background in possession. Haven't ever even seen "The Exorcist," but this book has provided me with a new awareness of the force of evil in the world and respect and thankfulness for those who fight it. As Peck said, I am left with more questions than answers. But the book is worth being read by anyone with interest and an open mind. The basic point seems to be that evil will use anything, our minds, egos, intellect, and even our desire for connection with God to get a foothold inside us. Beware of anything that asks you to deny the God of Love and Compassion. Judgment, denial of our dependence on a benevolent God, individualism, atheism, hatred, and most disturbingly, Satanism, are all expressions of evil in the world. Beware of intellectualism that denies the soul. Most importantly, deny a sense of a spirit or voice that asks you to invite it in, "marry" it, or surrender. The power and protection in these situations seems to be Jesus. I'm not a practicing Christian, myself, but this book has made me take a hard look at my spiritual path over the last eighteen years. Finally, never take on evil or a possessed person yourself. It will destroy you. Seek out a Catholic exorcist who will use the power of God and Jesus to banish the spirit. Another reason to read this book is the beautiful prose. Martin's writing reaches a level few authors even aspire to attain. His eloquent prose touches and inspires.
Rating:
Summary: LIGHT ON DARKNESS
Review: The Bible states that "men love darkness rather than light." This all-time classic explores that scripture in a detail that is frightening, excrutiating and mesmerizing. Martin has a way with words that makes exorcisms jump off the page. In a more enlightened time, it would be required reading for mental health workers. One of the priest-exorcists is quoted that one day Freud's disciples and other therapists are going to learn that repressed childhood traumas are only part of the roots of emotional suffering...the scary truth is deeper...congealed in the self-squeezing convolutions of the mind-body. After readng the book I wrote: DEEP SHADOWS When something in life gets too painful to bear
An enticing presence is waiting there
To its snake-like power it craves us to surrender and give
So in the mind and body it may move and live
From feelings that have become a threat, it offers seeming respite
In its secret battle against the Light
Its "food" is anger, pain, guilt, sex, and fear
The presence of these feelings drawing it near
For if any of these feelings become repressed
It lies ready to slither in and be expressed:
As it swallows these feelings into its vice-like grasp
So that the entire mind-body comes under its iron-tight clasp
For it's like a mosquito or vampire which sucks out one's life
Replacing one's energy with its own perversely pleasant form of strife
An angry force, craving secret worship and attention
Drawing out life's-flow and replacing it with apprehension
So from other people, it compels us to seek love
Instead of the Light within and above
Thinking and feeling through one's body, absorbing awareness in a chronic spell
Infecting others with its many subtle patterns of hell
For it uses one's thoughts, feelings, and desires
To control one with its raging fires
When one of these things has made a home inside
We have become possessed by a tenaciously stubborn pride
Which rewards us for destruction and deception
Feeling "loved" by it, we block out true perception
For its "love" is like when a leopard "loves" its prey
Chewing up its meal in its own ravenous way
And one of the last things it wants us to see--
That our slavery to it is the source of our misery
For if we want release from its power, it will fight, struggle, and flare
Yet telling us that it is not really there
And that seeing its existence, does make us quite "mad"
But if we believe this lie, we have again been had
I sent this poem to Malachi Martin in 1979. His reply, which I still have, stated "You have my thanks for your note and marvellous poem. It did indeed speak to me not only of 'Deep Shadows' but much else besides.
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